This Schnapps advert is totally metal

 I'm a sucker for a beautiful warrior-woman. So when I stumbled across this old Schanpps advert, I had to put it on here. It really ought to be on a metal album cover - a band that loves USPM circa 1986 and thinks that needs to be a thing again.

 Whoever she's charging at is about to have a really bad day

Music From The Weird Part of Youtube: Frog Metal

 One of the things I like about metal is the way it can be adapted to fit so many requirements. Although metal might originally have been seen as something for young white men by young white men, metal has also become a vehicle for other voices and experiences. Muslim youth in Indonesia have their bands, African bands sing about themes that Africans  can relate to. Gay people have metal, gamers have metal, anime fans have metal...

Everybody should - and probably do - have a metal band that totally gets where you're coming from. 

Well I am happy to report an exciting new development.  Clearly spurred on by the realisation that "amphibians don't gots no good metal", somebody created it.  Ladies and gentlemen, boys girls and tadpoles may I introduce you to:

FROG METAL

Pagefire - Morbid Osculation of a Decomposed Amphibian Corpse

RIBBIT, RIBBIT MOTHERFUCKERS. 

CD Review: Power Paladin - With The Magic Of Windfyre Steel

 Genre : Power Metal

Iceland 2022

This band sounds very much how you'd expect a band called Power Paladin and an album called "With The Magic of Windfyre Steel" would sound; catchy,  power metal with big choruses and lots of tempo. 

Having said that, Power Paladin also manage to stick out from the 1001 Rhapsody clones out there by virtue of  having a better vocalist than most, a knack for melody and dynamics,  and remembering to give each song a bit of variation.

Also, being from Iceland. Not somewhere normally associated with Power Metal.   

Stand out track is the opener "Kraven the Hunter"  with it's earworm chorus and strategic "Woah-ohs" but there's no weak tracks here. 

If you like this sort of thing, Power Paladin are worth your time.  If you don't know whether you like this sort of thing, well you might dig it. 

The Metal Project: C is For Contradiction

 

Hello again and it's been way, way too long since I've done one of these. 

So, we're working through the alphabet again and we've now hit the letter C 

As always, I hope you find something to like. 

Ceifador - Heavy Metal 666 (Brazil 2014)

 Honour to: Ceifador banda SP-Brasil

Children Of Seraph - Metal Face (USA 2016)

Honour to: Power Metal Hoosier

Chykle - AGUILAS METÁLICAS (Argentina 1987)

 Honour to: Totalarmageddon

Claustrofobia - Metal or Die (Brazil 2016)

Honour to: Claustrofobia Official

Contradiction - Thrash Metal (Germany 2006)

 Honour to: SoulflySox2

And I think that's enough to be getting on with.

Please visit and support the channels linked above.

That's All Folks

Lawnmower Deth Let Slip The Snails Of War

 Many years ago I picked up a split LP which immediately drew my attention. One one side you had UK hardcore oddballs Metal Duck - a band who allegedly never managed to play a single show where all 4 members showed up - and on the other side, Nottingham thrashers Lawnmower Deth.

 It has to be said that LD had a creative take on thrash metal, eschewing songs about war, politics and Satan in favour of catchy ditties about err..lawnmowers, vomiting and whatever the hell Umph Umlah was about.  Naturally I loved it and I've had a soft spot for them ever since. 

 (Just a thought: when the big names of the UK thrash scene  - Onslaught and Sabbat - suddenly self-destructed there was a brief period when Lawnmower Deth may have been  the UK's biggest thrash band. Feel free to confirm or deny this. Besides, how many metal bands managed to get Kim frigging Wilde to collaborate on a Christmas single? I'm sure that proves something.)

Anyway, much to my delight Lawnmower Deth have returned to action with a new song and a video which really needs more attention.  

Ladies and gentlemen, Boys and Girls and Lawnmower lovers of all ages, may I share with you:

Lawnmower Deth - Raise Your Snails. 

Beast in Black - One Night In Tokyo

  One of the many things I love about Heavy Metal is its uncanny ability to assimilate bits and pieces from other media. Punk, Opera,  Hip-Hop, Folk Music - all woke up one morning to find out that somebody had nicked a bunch of their stuff without noticing. 

More recently I've seen several metal bands using dance-music style keyboards in their sound.  

And I like this idea. I do believe that metal and dance music have more in common than people think..

Now on to the track that inspired this post.  Multinational outfit Beast In Black released their new video on September 30 and both the song and the video - especially the video - suggest the band do seem to have been drinking deeply out of the cup labelled "Synthwave" . Between the Eurodance keys and the vintage-games aesthetics of the vid, you get something that's a refreshing change from a bunch of  angry blokes in a warehouse.

  I definitely want to see where this band is going. See what you think.

The Metal Project: A is (Also) For Amazing

 

Hello and welcome to another, long-overdue, edition of The Metal Project. 

"And what the hell is The Metal Project?" I hear some of you ask.  

Well, look at the header above.

Does that answer your question? 

Moving on and we're continuing with the Alphabetical order.

Since I still have a load of bands under "A" I'll get them out of the way.

As always, I hope you find something you like. 

Almator - Metal In The Night (Ecuador  2018)

Honour to: Ushupagi Alcoholic

Amalgama - Arenga Metalera (Argentina 2016)

Honour to: Bruno Terrosa

Amazing Maze - Metal Empire (Italy 2007)

(ex-Labyrinth members)

Honour to: Illias Gyf

Angelust - Heavy Metal Lady (USA 2017)

Honour to: Ushupagi Alcoholic

Antcorpus- Na Terra Do Metal (Brazil 2003

Honour to: Thashmania Unerdeath

And lastly, a band that I think is taking the piss but it is hard to tell sometimes. 

Anti-Ben -  Manowar Are No Kings of Metal (But Anti-Ben is) (USA 2001)

Honour to: Ignas Petrauskas

Please check out the channels linked above and give them your support.

That's All Folks

The Metal Project: A for Abigail

 

Hello and welcome to another long overdue chapter in The Metal Project; an attempt to find and post every song on Youtube that has "Metal" in the title. Or to put it another way - to create the most Metal playlist in human history.   

 Since I have so many songs backed up, I have decided to go back to listing them in Alphabetical order. I sincerely hope you find something to like. Enjoy. 

Abigail - Wild Fire Metal Bitch (Japan 2009)

Honour to: Ushupagi Alcoholic

Acero Letal - Duro Metal (Chile 2014)

 Honour to: KmasterCL

Aeonblack - Metal Bound (Germany 2015)

Honour to: Michael Kan

Aggressor - There's Metal In Texas (USA 1987 Demo)

Honour to: heavymetalmaniac80s

Airborn - Metal Nation (Italy 2014)

Honour to: AirBorn band

Please visit and subscribe to the channels listed above. I'm sure they'd love some support.

That's All Folks. 

Heavy Metal Cover Girls...Up A Dark Alley

 In this series I post a load of metal/rock album covers that share a loose theme. One of the things I keep saying is that if an idea has been done once it will be done twice. Now that may be down to the artist going "Hey. I like this cover so how about I do my own version of it." but more often it's because the band & design team want to create a particular mood and there are certain tropes which work really well. There's a reason I've posted so many album covers about angels and warrior women, after all. 

  Sometimes, though, it is a case of two artists arriving at the same point entirely by coincidence.  You'll see what I mean in a minute. 

So the theme I'm going with tonight is "Cover Girl + Dark Alley" and right away I know what you're thinking.

Don't worry, I don't post that sort of cover.  Now let's take a trip into the back streets and see who we might find. 

One thing I do enjoy is bands that try and have some shared elemts across their album covers. Maiden have Eddie, Megadeth had Vic Rattlehead and US melodic rockers Bugzy have... actually we never do get her name.  probably not Bugzy though. That would be weird. 

 I love the fact that these three covers tell a little story.

 Bugzy - Plan B (USA 2017)

 Oh noes. no tickets left. Our devoted fanisn't going to let that stop her

 Bugzy - Centre of Attraction (USA - 2018)

 

 

Sadly the attempt to sneak in by the backdoor is busted.
Damn, that place has serious security.

Bugzy - She's the One (USA 2018)

 The band take pity on our gorgeous redhead, probably because she's a gorgeous redhead, and not only

 let her in but get Red to model for their next album cover. I love a happy ending. 

 

Nocny Kochanek - Hewi Metal (Poland 2015)

 We seem to have stryed into a couple having a cute moment. Not sure why they're having it in a filthy alley but whatever.

 Let's leave them alone and move on. 

 

Slam Alley - 21 Fire (USA 2009)

 Why are you wearing a bikini/ This isn't even a beach. The beach is miles away. Also, it's midnight.  Put some clothes on before you freeze to death. 

 

Rumble Syndicate - Face Down Bottoms Up

 Huh. Forensic scientists didn't look like this in my day. Shouldn't she be wearing gloves or something? 

Murder District -Дерись! EP (Russia 2016)

 Here's a tip for would-be muggers, gangsters and other degenerates...

if the girl you ambush starts smiling like this then back away slowly and possibly consider taking up a new line of work.  

 Go see if the Post Office is hiring. 

Or get you teeth kicked out. see if I care. 

(Actually, is it just me or does she look a bit like a young Cynthia Rothrock? )

 

Remember I was talking about "if an idea has been done once it will be done twice."

Here's a perfect illustration of that.  

We have a very specific set of elements and yet two completely different artists have hit on the same formula independently.  I think that's fascinating.

I'm going to take a guess at the reasoning and I think it goes like this:

"We're a thrash band so we need something violent on the cover and we also want a hot babe

But since violence against women is totally uncool, let's have her be the one killing people!"

Legal Tender - Lust In Demons EP (USA 2013)

 

 

Project Pain - Thrashed To Kill (NLD 2015)

So we have two different underdressed axe-murderers roaming the streets. 

Now I'm scared.

Can we go home please? 

Hope you enjoyed this post and why not go check out the bands?

 

THAT'S ALL FOLKS. 

 

The Metal Project: Metal In My Head

 

 I don't do New Years Resolutions but if I did, one of them would be to try and post more on this blog in 2021.   you will find what I've put up already. 

So here we are with another entry in The Metal Project which is my long-term attempt to gather as many Metal Songs About Metal in one place.  If you pop over to this page : SONGLIST  You'll find what I have already posted and since there's about 1600 of them that should keep you busy for a while. Or just check out the playlist on my Youtube channel:  METAL PROJECT PLAYLIST

 Anyway, on with the show.  Today I'm sharing a clutch of promo videos. As always, I hope you find something to like. 

 

Wizard - Metal In My Head (Germany 2021)

Credit to: Masacre Records

 

Raven - Metal City  (UK 2020)

 Credit to: STEAMHAMMER RECORDS

 

Sylent Storm - Patriots Of Metal (USA 2018)

Credit to: NWOTHM FULL ALBUMS
 

 Iron Saviour - Raise The Flag Of Metal (Germany 2020) 

Credit to: AFM RECORDS

 

Durbin - The Prince Of Metal  (USA 2020)

Credit: FRONTIERS MUSIC

 

Please go check out and support the Channels listed above.

 

That's All Folks.

 

The Metal Project: Metal Pounding

  By my reckoning I've posted something like 1650 songs over the course of this project. Holy Crap, that's a lot.  It's also not even close to being the end as I've got several hundred left to do.  So let's see if I can get up to 1700 by the end of Summer, or the end of human civilisation, whichever comes first. 

Mordark - Metal Warriors (Spain 2012)

Honour to: mordark- wyld

Thorax - Metal/Powerraid (Belgium 1986)

(Two songs for the price of one.)

Honour to: Fallenangel333GR

Abitbollus - Blaque  Metal (France 2003)

Honour to: Underground Vibrations

Hercules - Metal Pounding (Greece 2016)

Honour to: Doom Sword

Simplefast - Metal Fury (Greece 2013)

Honour to: Simplefast TV

Check out the channels I linked above and show them some love.
I am only able to do this because they post the songs in the first place.

That's All Folks. 

The Metal Project: Metal Direct To The Skull

 Evening all.  Welcome to another edition of the The Metal Project my ongoing and possibly Quixotic attempt to find and post every song on Youtube that has Metal in the title, or at least the ones that are by bands I can loosely categorise as "Metal".

  Once again I'm posting promo videos rather than songs but that still counts, right? 

As always, I hope you find something you like. Enjoy.  

Electron - Metal Direct To The Skull (Colombia 2020)

A modern band gleefully channeling the 80s in visuals and sound. 

Honour to: NWOTHM Full Albums

Steel Addiction - Metal Scream (Australia 2003)

Honour to: monsterrocks1

Delaware - Heavy Metal (Spain 2013)

 Honour to: Javiker73

Corrosive Sweden  - Metal (Sweden 2008)

 Honour to: Corrosive Sweden

Digressing for a moment, I continue to be fascinated by how many bands  not only put "Metal" in their title but also just use "Metal" or "Heavy Metal". This seems to be something unique to Metal.

Rampart - The Metal Code (Bulgaria 2016)

Honour to: RAMPART

Please visit and support the channels I linked above and help them keep doing what they do. 

That's All Folks. 

The Metal Project: Metal Possessed

Evening All.

Welcome to another installment in my ongoing, if somewhat intermittent, attempt 

to track down and catalogue every single song on Youtube that has "Metal" in the title. 

Everybody needs something to keep them sane. 

For some reason I thought this would do it for me... 

Let's have some headbanging music. 

Enjoy. 

Töxik Death - Metal Possessed (Norway 2014)

Honour to: UshuPagi Alcoholic

Stryctnyne - Metal Warrior (USA 1991)

Honour to: Tenebre987

Quiar - Legión Del Metal (Argentina 2017)

Honour to: Symphonic Black Metal Promotion

Thunder Steel - War Metal (Brazil Demo 2009)

Honour to: Fred Keyster

Apple Sin - Roadie Metal (Brazil  2017)

Honour to: Roadie Metal

Please make sure to like and subscribe to the channels I listed here.
That's All folks. 

The Metal Project: Healed By Metal

 Evening all. I'm still working through my backlog of promo vids so here's hoping you find something you like.

Grave Digger - Healed By Metal (Germany 2016)

Honour to: LINK

Eqalunique - Metal Nerds (Germany 2014)

Honour to: EqaluniqueBand

Well that's not something you see in metal vids very often is it?

Ankh Amun - Metal Gott (Germany 2015)

Honour to: Ankh Amun

Exorddium- Heavy Metal (Brazil 2013)

Honour to: Exorddium Official

Sinfonia Celtica - Bitch Metal (Mexico 2015)

Honour to: Sinfonia Celtica Official

I hope you found something cool or at least something that made you nod your head.
Now could you please go check out the channels listed above and give them some support?
That would be awesome

That's All Folks

The Metal Project: Metal Invasion

What is The Metal Project? 

One day I set out to see how many songs I could find and post that had "metal" in the title. 

Eight years + later and I'm not even close to finished. 

   Evening All. Continuing the theme from last time, I shall be posting promos rather then songs. Enjoy.

Reactory - Metal Invasion (Germany 2014)

Honour to: Reactory666

Knights Of The Forge - Metal Law (USA 2014)

Honour to: Samuel Schaefer

Footprints In The Custard - Party Metal (UK 2016)

Honour to: Footprints In The Custard

VooDoo - Metalmania (Poland 1987)

Honour to: VoodooKrakowPoland

Synthphonia Suprema - Synth Metal (Italy 2006)

Honour to: Hector Gaona

The Metal Project: Heavy Metal Rules

 50 years ago a bunch of Brummies released an album that changed Rock music forever.  Black Sabbath took the heavy blues-rock formula of Cream and Hendrix, turned up the amps, fed it through a filter of Horror movies and  created something darker and heavier than anything  heard before.

 Later on other bands would refine the formula and Heavy Metal would gleefully lift bits from every other music form you could think of: Punk, Prog, Pop, folk music, hardcore, hip-hop and the kitchen sink but it all started with the sound of rain and a menacing three note riff.

 These days Heavy Metal bands and metal fans can be found pretty much anywhere that has working electricity and that includes countries where unsmiling men will throw you into a windowless cellar for wearing a black t-shirt.
 Metal has survived Punk, Disco, Grunge, Rap, moral crusaders, the blatant disdain of the music press and Axl Rose being a knob. If anything it keeps spreading further.
   I am confident that in 30 years time there will still be somebody  putting "Black Sabbath" in their nanite, cortical sensory implants and losing their freaking mind.

 Anyway, enough waffling. let's have some metal ..

and always remember Heavy Metal Rules.  

Steel Panther - Heavy Metal Rules (USA 2019)

Honour to: STEEL PANTHER OFFICIAL

Psychostick release their annual Christmas song.

In what's become a bit of a tradition, Psycho stick have released their latest Christmas song. As usual it's entertaining, a solid bit of music in it's own right and more than a little dark.

 What happens you you mash up Rob Zombie and Santa? This. You get this.

 The next time you hear movement on your roof, maybe you'd best hide under your bed until it goes away...

The Metal Project: Long Live Metal

I haven't done one of these in way, way too long. I feel kinda bad about that. 

Freedom & Pain: Long Live Metal (Germany 2019)

Honour to: 7us Media Group

B.D.O - Heavy Metal Nonstop  (Estonia 1992)

(A bit of an oddity and I'm pretty suire this is a pisstake but what the hell. Somebody out there is gonna dig it)

Honour to: BDOHeavyMetalNonstop

Maggots - Death Metal Massacre (Mexico 2016)

Honour to: Hellbastard ART

Zwetwezen - The Glory Of Black Metal (Belgium 2014)

Honour to: newwdefinition

Sörceress- Heavy Metal Wicca (Colombia 2018)

Honour to: Ushupagi Alcoholic

Please visit and support the channels I linked above.

That's All Folks. 

 

Music From The Weird Part Of Youtube: We Butter The Bread With Butter

We Butter The Bread with Butter are a German metal band who may or may not be tongue in cheek. It's hard to tell sometimes. Their latest video is defnitely intense though.

Not so much what's happening but the way it's done. Small things are performed with a level of intensity that makes most metal bands look like foppish amateurs.  See for yourself and see what I mean.

And if anybody who understands German can explain what the bloody song is all about, I'd appreciate it.

That's All Folks

Heavy Metal Cover Girls: Metal Amazons

 I've been a bit fed up lately but I think I know what will cheer me up and hope fully make your world a little bit shinier.  Attractive women in impractical armour wielding swords. Possibly while riding animals that no sane person would even go near.

Yep. It's time to dust off the Heavy Metal Cover Girls tag. It's been a while, hasn't it?   

Once again I'm going with the theme "Warrior Women" because as it turns out, lots of people like the idea of sexy female warriors and lots of them are in metal bands. Luis Royo alone must have made a few bob out of CD cases. 

Smoulder - Times Of Obscene Evil And Wild Daring (USA 2019)

This is one of those covers that makes you wonder at the story being told.

A beautiful but fierce woman brandishing a sword that apparently cuts reality menaces a tied up man .
Why is she so mad at him?
And why is the horse terrified of a wall?

Mjolnir - Whispering Sorcery (NL 2000)

I though Valkyries were generally more solidly built and wore winged hats.
I bet she can't even sing soprano.

Having said that, if this young lady turned up to collect your soul would anybody object?

"I'm ready to be taken to Valhalla now."
"But you're..y'know..not actually dead. Also you're a baker."
"Gimme five minutes. Just off to punch that berserker in the dick."

Beast In Black - From Hell With Love (Finland 2019)

Your definition of Love is a lot different from mine. 

Claymorean - Unbroken (Serbia 2015)

The Dark Lord's favourite general celebrates another victory.
The Dark Lord's general is now looking forward to a nice hot bath to wash away the stink of blood and winged hellbeast.
They look metal as fuck  but their fur brings her out in a rash.

Europica - Part One Hungary (2017)

 I've decided that the blonde in the white dress is some sort of Goddess, which is why she's riding a white, Aurochs.
Is it just me or does that Aurochs look very pleased with himself?
He clearly thinks he's the star of this picture and ya know what - I think he's right.    

Booxe Control - The Lizard Rider (Germany 2016)

Oh come on. using a frigging Assault rifle is just cheating.

Let me know if there's any themes you want to see and I'll see what i can do.

That's all folks.